True or False: Notaries must destroy their seals upon resignation or commission expiration.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Only if the commission is canceled
• D. Only if the seal is damaged

Answer: (A)

The seal is the official mark tying a notary’s acts to their authority. When a notary’s commission ends—whether by resignation or expiration—the authority to perform notarial acts ends as well. If the seal remained usable after that point, someone could impersonate a notary and stamp documents fraudulently, undermining the public’s trust in notarizations. Destroying the seal (or rendering it inoperative) prevents any further use and protects the integrity of future documents. The rule isn’t about cancellation or damage specifically; it follows from the end of the commission that the seal should no longer be usable.